Escape
by Puppets Blizzt
Summary: Title subject to change. Set during Partings. Lorelai gives Luke the ultimatum, to which he declines. As Lorelai walks away, Luke realizes all that he's about to lose. So what is he going to do about it? Alternate ending to Partings.


**Lalala... New Gilmore Girls storyy! (Like I don't have enough unfinished ones already...)**

**Something I found sitting on my computer. Seriously. Most of it was already typed, but I added the last little bits. +nod;**

**We'll see how this turns out.**

**Disclaimer: Much like with my other fanfictions, I still do not claim to own the rights to Gilmore Girls. All characters belong to WB/ASP/whoever they belong to. I really don't know, though I would assume ASP...**

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"You're going to have to figure out how April fits into our lives, not the other way around!"

It was this sentence she spoke that made him realize how stupid he was being. He was pushing away the woman he loved to settle things with his daughter, when really he shouldn't be. He should be working April into their lives, not keeping her separate from it all. He had ignored Lorelai to establish a relationship with his daughter, when he should have been asking her for assistance. After all, April's birthday party she helped throw had been one kick-ass party. That should have been the first sign that he was doing things completely wrong. He had frozen Lorelai out of his life with April when she had been dying to be a part of it.

Lorelai Gilmore was completely right - one hundred percent. And now, now he was about to lose her forever. She was ready for the next stage in their relationship, he realized, she was ready to move on. But he wasn't, really, was he? He wasn't ready for it... not with his new daughter in his life. Not when things were going so well. And Anna... what would Anna say if she found out he had ran off with his fiancee to elope? What if she refused to let him see his daughter ever again? Could he stand that?

He was being forced to pick Lorelai or his daughter, April. Lorelai, the woman he loved and who made his life worth living, or April, his long-lost daughter. Lorelai, the crazy coffee-addict woman who he knew everything about, or April, the twelve year old daughter who he knew nothing about.

It was fairly obvious what his choice should be. Lorelai Gilmore. When she made a decision, she wouldn't change her mind easily. If he said no - if he turned her down - he would never see her the same way again. He wouldn't get to see her every morning - she would surely avoid his diner - and he wouldn't see her every evening before he went to bed. The woman who made his life so much brighter was threatening to leave him forever. Would he be able to handle that? Hardly. Would Lorelai be able to handle it? Surely she could; Lorelai could do anything, she could withstand anything. She was the invincible Lorelai Gilmore. She would be fine.

But as he pondered it, he wondered what would happen if she turned out to be not fine. She would be sad, obviously... depressed. Could he handle a depressed Lorelai? No, he wouldn't be able to stand seeing her saddened, depressed, and lonely. She would put up her strong front, but he could always see through it. He knew when she was lying, when she was protecting others from her jumbled emotions. Seeing her like that... he wasn't sure he would be able to handle it. Hell, he might kill himself if he saw her so hurt and alone.

That was how he had been most of his life: alone. His father had died when he was young, and Liz had moved to New York, leaving him alone in the crazy town of Stars Hollow. He was the disgruntled, surly diner owner of the whacko town, who was kind to no one and cared about no one.

That is, until one Lorelai Gilmore came until his life. When she did, it was like life suddenly had meaning. There was something to look forward to every morning – some_one _to look forward to. He could look forward to her smiling face, her jokes, and her faux flirting… it all made his life so much better.

Before he knew it, Lorelai Gilmore had turned to walk away. She was walking away… he had said no. _He had said _no. _Why _had he done that? He was losing her forever. He was going to lose her. And he knew what she'd do, too. She'd end up, somehow, in the arms of Christopher Hayden, Rory's father. She'd end up with _him _instead of waiting for things to cool down. He had let his anger get the better of him; he had let her accusations get to him; let his words get out of hand. He hadn't meant any of them, he hadn't meant to send her away.

He watched her walk away, dumbfounded. He stood helplessly in the middle of the street, trying to think of something – _anything _– he could do to rectify the situation. And then, the solution hit him. He was going to agree to what she wanted; he was going to give her exactly what she wanted. Lorelai Gilmore always got her way, he knew that. And here she was, about to get her way again. Hurriedly, he chased after her.

"Lorelai!" he yelled, running down the street after his fiancé, ignoring the plethora of troubadours lining the streets. They weren't what mattered right now. No, the only thing in existence at the moment was Lorelai Gilmore. He could get a kick out of Taylor trying to round them all up another time. She was still a ways ahead, and he called her name again, walking a little faster to catch her before she slipped from his sight.

When he finally caught up, he grabbed her arm lightly and stepped in front of her to block her path. She wasn't going to get away from him again, he wouldn't let her.

"Lorelai, hold up," he panted, slightly out of breath. It had been years since he had been on the track team from high school, and he definitely had _nothing _to show for it. He inhaled deeply, and then spoke only two words. "Let's go."

His eyes were narrowed in determination and his jaw was set. He didn't care what she said or what she did; he wasn't going to change his mind, and he wasn't going to let her leave. He would hold on to Lorelai Gilmore with all he had, and he would never let go.

"Excuse me?" she asked, refusing to look up to meet his eyes. Her hair was a shield, protecting her from him. Not from what he could do to her physically – Luke was never that type of man – but mentally. Just by meeting his gaze, her heart would melt. She would bend to his will… do anything for him. She couldn't let herself do that now. Not after what he had said. She couldn't let herself be swept off her feet. This was _not _a Disney movie.

"Let's go. Let's just… get out of here. Anywhere; just like you said. Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, Maine, _I don't care_. I just… want to be with you."

"A moment ago you said you didn't," Lorelai pointed out skeptically; angrily. And it was true, he had. For a moment, his face was a blank sheet. He had lost his train of thought with that, and every word he had in his mind had flown out the window. He shook his head quickly, restrung his thoughts, and started over.

"I know I did. But… you overwhelmed me," he explained, "you asked me to leave what I have here. April. My daughter. And I get where you're coming from now that I've had time to think it over. But Lorelai… you can't just go emotional on me all the time. You can't just expect an answer right away. You're used to fast-paced, let's go, kind-of-life. I'm not.

"But I've thought it over… and you're right," Lorelai looked up at this, her sparkling eyes moving up to meet his own. Her lip trembled, as if she wasn't sure what to do. And she wasn't. She had no idea what she was supposed to do other than stand there and listen to him carry on.

"You're done waiting, and I am too. I postponed the wedding. I shouldn't have. I could see you were upset by it, but I just wanted to work things out with April, so I let it slide. I shouldn't have done that, and I'm sorry.

"And I realize that this can't be resolved in just one night. I don't expect it to. But I'm ready. You're right. It's time to jump, Lorelai. And you can jump with me, or I can wait. I'll wait if I have to, but I'm not going to lose you again."

Lorelai stood there silently, staring up at the man she had come to love over the past three years. She searched his eyes for a hint of deceit, but she found none. She hadn't expected to. She switched her footing, bouncing her weight between her feet. Her arms were still crossed over her chest, and her cheeks were still stained with tears. She brushed them away as much as she could, refusing help from Luke as he offered it. He looked stung, but she didn't apologize. Right now… she didn't want help. She didn't need any more guidance. She stared at the ground for a few moments and gave a shaky laugh at her own foolishness. At their foolishness. Here they were, standing in the middle of the street. Just minutes ago, they had been in the middle of a screaming match, and now they were apologizing. Maybe it _was _a Disney movie.

She swung her arms to her sides dramatically, heaving an uncertain sigh.

"I don't know, Luke… I don't know… I mean… I just… I don't know," she rambled, confused, giving another laugh at how stupid she sounded, "God, I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound like that… I just… don't know what to say; what to do."

"Just take a drive with me. We can go on the road for a little bit. See some places together. Get away from Stars Hollow and get some fresh air," Luke offered, eagerness underlying his tone, "we can just take a break from our hectic lives and focus on each other. That's all. Forget everything else. Forget everyone else. No Taylor. No Michel. No Emily Gilmore. No one and nothing to distract us."

The thought was promising and alluring. It drew Lorelai to it immediately, and a small smile crept onto her face. Tenderly – tentatively – she reached up and gave him a light kiss on the cheek.

"Okay."

A wave of gratitude swept over him. She was back. She was back in his arms, back where he could hold her close and keep her forever. Back where Christopher Hayden surely would not reach her. Yes, they had work to do, but she was back. And he wouldn't mess this up.

Not again.

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**Review with your opinions on whether or not I should continue, please. (:**


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